A Lochaber school has pulled off an incredible double — winning two gold awards for its commitment to sport, physical activity, and the ancient Highland game of shinty.
Ardnamurchan High School has been awarded a Gold School Sport Award by sportscotland, and a Gold Shinty School Award by the Camanachd Association — both recognising the school's outstanding dedication to keeping pupils active, engaged, and inspired.
What the gold awards mean
The sportscotland Gold School Sport Award is the highest honour the organisation bestows, recognising schools that demonstrate excellent practice across eight core areas — including physical education, clubs and communities, competitive opportunities, celebrating sport, and developing pupils and staff. It's a whole-school achievement that reflects years of collective effort.
The Camanachd Association's gold award recognises the school's commitment to growing shinty within the curriculum and wider school community. Having previously held silver status, achieving gold is a significant step up — and one that has been years in the making.
A passion for shinty at the heart of the school
Shinty has become a real success story at Ardnamurchan High School. The school has built strong ties with Ardnamurchan Camanachd, brought shinty into the PE curriculum, and was even selected to host the prestigious Donella Crawford Shinty Tournament.
Alan Gray, our Active Schools Coordinator, explains what this milestone means:
"It took many years of hard work to achieve a gold from the Camanachd Association, having been a Silver Shinty School previously — so this is a massive achievement. Grateful thanks to our shinty ambassadors past and present, along with PE teacher Miss Akmolova and Acting Head Simon Patterson, who have been instrumental in getting us over the line for gold!"
It took many years of hard work to achieve a gold from the Camanachd Association, having been a Silver Shinty School previously — so this is a massive achievement.
Active Schools Coordinator
A health and wellbeing festival to celebrate
The awards were presented as part of a two-day Health and Wellbeing Festival at the school — a fantastic community event that brought together coaches, employers, organisations, and charities from across the area.
Pupils enjoyed rugby sessions with Lochaber Rugby Football Club and the Scottish Rugby Union, shinty with the Camanachd Association, and football with Alba FA coaches. Local employers and organisations — including the NHS, UHI, Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, and many more — were also on hand to inspire and engage pupils.
Acting Head Teacher Simon Patterson said:
"Health and wellbeing is at the heart of our ethos as a school, so it was a pleasure to welcome a variety of coaches, speakers and employers to celebrate with us. Small, rural schools like Ardnamurchan rely heavily on partnership working, and this was a great example of bringing people together to give our pupils positive and rewarding experiences."
What the awards say about the school — and its community
For a small rural school, this double achievement is remarkable. Forbes Dunlop, Chief Executive of sportscotland, said:
"Ardnamurchan High School's achievement of the Gold School Sport Award is a testament to the school's commitment to placing sport, physical activity and leadership at the heart of the pupil experience. It's fantastic to see a small rural school creating real opportunities for young people to thrive."
Chair of Highland Council's education committee, John Finlayson, added:
"It is especially encouraging to see the school embrace sporting partnerships in the community in the way they have with their local shinty club. Partnership working is key in rural areas, and this was a great example of bringing people together to shape positive experiences for our young people."
Want to find out more about Active Schools?
Our Active Schools programme works with schools and communities across the Highlands to create more opportunities for young people to get active. Whether you want to find out more about the programme or connect with an Active Schools coordinator in your area, we'd love to hear from you.
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